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Without Feathers Mass Market Paperback – February 12, 1986

by Woody Allen (Author)

4.2 153 ratings

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Here they are--some of the funniest tales and ruminations ever put into print, by one of the great comic minds of our time. From THE WHORE OF MENSA, to GOD (A Play), to NO KADDISH FOR WEINSTEIN, old and new Woody Allen fans will laugh themselves hysterical over these sparkling gems.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ballantine Books
Publication date

February 12, 1986
Dimensions

4.17 x 0.64 x 6.64 inches
ISBN-10

0345336976
ISBN-13

978-0345336972
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The title of Woody Allen's second collection of New Yorker-style sprint humor is a sly comment on Emily Dickinson's famous quote, "Hope is the thing with feathers." Without Feathers delivers Allen's hopeless schlub persona--you remember, what he used to be before he was either a lecher or an auteur, depending on your politics. In addition to being as funny as anything published since, to read Without Feathers is to return to a simpler time, when being a fan of his work was common, not controversial.

Though each piece is funny, two of them are particularly notable examples of Allen's distinctive style (borrowed in large part from S.J. Perelman by way of the Borscht Belt, but distinctive, nevertheless)--"The Whore of Mensa" and "If the Impressionists Had Been Dentists." Here's an excerpt from the latter: Mrs. Sol Schwimmer is suing me because I made her bridge as I felt it and not to fit her ridiculous mouth! That's right! I can't work to order like a common tradesman! I decided her bridge should be enormous and billowing, with wild, explosive teeth flaring up in every direction like fire! Now she is upset because it won't fit in her mouth! She is so bourgeois and stupid, I want to smash her! I tried forcing the false plate in but it sticks out like a star burst chandelier. Without Feathers is fine, funny prose, from an American master. If you're a fan, seek it out immediately. It's a document from the days when Woody was not important, but merely hysterically funny. --Michael Gerber

From the Inside Flap

e--some of the funniest tales and ruminations ever put into print, by one of the great comic minds of our time. From THE WHORE OF MENSA, to GOD (A Play), to NO KADDISH FOR WEINSTEIN, old and new Woody Allen fans will laugh themselves hysterical over these sparkling gems.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books; First Edition (February 12, 1986)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0345336976
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0345336972
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.17 x 0.64 x 6.64 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #681,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #335 in Political Humor (Books)
- #594 in Parody
- #1,434 in Humor Essays (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 153 ratings

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Woody Allen

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Woody Allen’s prolific career as a comedian, writer, and filmmaker has now spanned more than six decades and multiple award winning films. Mr. Allen’s first screenplay was for What’s New Pussycat?, which was released in 1965. He has written and directed more than 45 feature films, including Annie Hall, Manhattan and more recently, Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine & Rainy Day in New York. Woody Allen is the author of Getting Even, Without Feathers, and Side Effects, among numerous other books.

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4.2 out of 5

153 global ratings

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Tinkagain

Still funny

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024

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50 years later, it is still genius

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Tony Colasurdo

Absurd, silly and a treasure ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2018

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If you are not sure what “Kine” are you will particularly love “The Scrolls”... and I’m sure the rest of this gem. Best summarized - this is a window into a comic genius mind - but maybe not for everyone and that’s ok. You either get it - or you don’t I’m afraid ... for those that do - you will love it

5 people found this helpful

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L. Massaar

Funny

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2002

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Well, what can I say? This was written back in the early 70s but isn't dated and provokes a proverbial "laugh out loud" on the odd occasion. The humour is predictable, but not (I think) formulaic... probably represents Woody Allen's golden period, simple down-to-earth observations and silly notes to himself.
The two plays, especially "Death", are particularly good and show the dialogue is typical Woody Allen in top-form (eg. dealing with a Kafka-esque situation).

5 people found this helpful

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Cynthia Dunaway

Extremely funny.

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2013

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I finally found this book after years of searching. I used to have one of the first editions of "WITHOUT FEATHERS", but lost it in the many moves I have made. Woody Allen is a magnificent writer and his humor cannot be beat. He is a true genious and it shows in this book. I especially recommend reading "the whore of mensa" , and "THE DEAD
SEA SCROLLS". This book has always cheered me up when I am down and still does.

4 people found this helpful

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Andy McKinney

Some gold there, but not much

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2021

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Woody Allen has a lopsided look at the world but not a funny look at the world if we can use Without Feathers as an example. The longest piece in this collection of his 'comic' writings is a play called 'God'. It meanders in and out of reality. At one point the players on stage phone Woody at home to ask for help in finding an ending for the play. Members of the audience speak to the players and in one case, come on the stage to take part. Ok, I am down with all that. Just make it funny, not lame and depressing. We have a whole class of French and Swedish stage and cinema work to grab onto when we find ourselves insufficiently depressed.
From the play, speech by Diabetes, a Greek slave--
"What's the big deal about freedom? It's dangerous. To know one's place is safe. Don't you see, Doris,
governments change hands every wee, political leaders murder on another, cities are sacked, people are
tortured. If there's a war, who do you think he's killed? The free people. But we're safe because no matter
who's in power, they all need someone to do the heavy cleaning."
Gee, thanks for that Woody. This is not accurate historically, socially or most importantly, as a matter of humor.
He has a piece near the beginning of the book called "The Whore of Mensa" about brilliant young Brandise graduates that, for an hourly fee, will discuss Blake with wealthy men starved for culture. While not funny, it was sharp and cutting. It made me smile in a snide way to see him ridicule tremendously smart people who waste their brainpower on literary minutia. His "If the Impressionists Had Been Dentists" follows in a similar mode, making fun of the wave of exciting new perspectives in art at the begging of the 20th century. For Woody, the artists were shallow, damage, dishonest, and often jerks. Maybe so, like their pictures.
Anybody and posit that life is hard and then you die. Most 15-year-olds get it just fine. But we can find absurdist humor in old Monty Python skits and laugh.
Not here.

One person found this helpful

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Pete

Insanely good book . Jesus

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2022

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Wow

One person found this helpful

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T. Fredricks

Tickled pink from red faced to a numbed funny bone

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2022

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Great gift for my new girlfriend Casey

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2020

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I knew I was in trouble when I'd read half the book and hadn't laughed yet. I bought it because I was irritated by the smug censorship of Hachette Book group. Thought police much ? Only the people you like are entitled to a voice ? So I had to buy something by Woody Allen. And while I am a huge fan of his early humor - stand-up, movies thru Hannah, none of that humor is here. Somebody should have protested this book. Sorry, it's just not funny.

5 people found this helpful

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bresin dino

Senza paracadute!

Reviewed in Italy on December 12, 2019

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Dopo aver letto e recensito Woody Allen on Woody Allen il libro intervista che si ferma ai primi anni novanta, mi ha incuriosito la sua attivita' di scrittore di prosa e teatro a partire dagli anni 60', come approccio ho scelto questo smilzo libricino di gag pieces teatrali brevi racconti comparsi anche su riviste newyorkesi. Su tutti the dead un noir su un gruppo di vigilantes notturni alla ricerca di un serial killer e God una tragedia greca, con attori dai nomi improbabili trichinosis phidippides, con tanto di coro e deus ex machina, ed attori ed autore alla ricerca di un finale nella piu' totale confusione. Per chi apprezza la comicita' jewish di Allen cinica e assurda, una fantasmagoria di invenzioni a raffica sui luoghi comuni del ristretto milieu della middle class newyorkese, questo e' un succinto ma gustoso antipasto. Ho visto in aereo, tornando dal Giappone a rainy day in New York, ottimi interpreti ma trama prevedibile, un puro esercizio di stile humor freddo e forzato, non l'Allen dissacrante che piace a me. Forse le 12 ore di viaggio richiedevano qualcosa di piu' stuzzicante!

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Jack Heslop

Funny and engaging

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

I bought this book because for some reason the "Complete" Prose of Woody Allen doesn't feature the plays Death and God, which were originally published in Without Feathers. Those who know Allen's work will be aware that Death was later used as the basis of his film Shadows and Fog, so maybe there was a copyright issue with a studio, or something in that line.

Anyway, Woody Allen is a great writer of humorous essays and stories, and Without Feathers is a joy to read if you appreciate his cynical, absurdist humour. The book touches on everything from Impressionist art to opera to civil disobedience, poetry, and, of course, existentialism (Allen's favourite theme) in his irreverent, anything-for-a-gag style. Death and God are both wonderful plays, Death about a cowardly salesman in a city at night, who's forced by his neighbours to join a vigilante group hunting a serial killer; and God an actor and writer trying to find an ending for their play, as the fourth wall is repeatedly exploded by increasing meta-awareness.

Allen's approach in his prose is to discuss and satirise literary trends of the past, "feasting on the fantasies of his favourite writers" as the Glasgow Herald put it. So he takes the work of the existentialists and adds to it his own comic spin. That might make it seem like you need to have read a hundred other books to "get" Without Feathers, but that's not the case. Though inspired by the past Allen's writing stands alone; there'll always be a gag that anyone can appreciate, even if your only experience of existentialism is wondering if you should keep waiting for the bus or just cut your losses and walk.

2 people found this helpful

Abhishek

A great read.

Reviewed in India on May 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

If one is familiar with certain important events in world history and also with some famous personalities, this book becomes even more enjoyable.

This is a book by one of the most gifted writers of humor and one must always be careful and mind his or her surroundings while reading this book as it can make you burst into laughter anywhere.

A great read.

2 people found this helpful

Nina

OTTIMO ACQUISTO

Reviewed in Italy on May 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

Ordine arrivato prima della data prevista.

Ottimo materiale

Consigliato sicuramente.

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bigfoot

Allen at his best.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2015

Verified Purchase

Excruciatingly funny collection; I lost my copy some years ago and it has been a treat to have this gem back in my possession. Be prepared for seriously aching sides.

One person found this helpful

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